Apple makes sideloading its own apps free

With the arrival of Xcode 7, Apple users can run their self-developed apps on their iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch without having to purchase a developer subscription. You must pay to release the app in the App Store.

Apple didn’t mention the ability to install proprietary apps for free at its WWDC developer conference in San Francisco. However, the functionality is mentioned on the page where the new version of Apple’s development environment Xcode is announced. Users must still have OS X to run Xcode. It is unclear whether the functionality only works with Apple’s own programming language Swift.

Until now, a developer subscription of 100 euros per year had to be taken out to sideload own apps on an Apple mobile device. Developers still need to purchase a subscription to be able to place the app in the App Store. However, the functionality theoretically allows apps to be sideloaded: app developers could distribute the source code. It is unclear whether Apple will take action against this. However, the likelihood of such spreading on a large scale is not great. In addition, sideloading apps can already be done with company certificates, as Popcorn Time has done.

Xcode 7 also has support for Swift 2, the new version of Apple’s own programming language. The functionality to test an app has also been improved, Apple promises. For example, there will be a tool to test the interface of an app. There will also be crash logs and developers can see whether their application is drawing too much on the battery.

Apple’s paid developer plan has become cheaper for developers who develop for both iOS and OS X. Until now, this had to be paid separately for 100 euros per year, but both programs now cost 100 euros per year together. For that amount, developers also get the opportunity to develop new native apps for the Apple Watch.